The Redeemed Backslider
“Welcome to The Redeemed Backslider—with your host, Kathy Chastain, Christian-based psychotherapist and a redeemed backslider. This podcast dedicated to those who have wandered but are ready to return to the life-changing power of grace and the freedom found in Jesus.
In Luke 4:18, Jesus proclaimed: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.’
This is the heart of our message. Whether you’re wrestling with regret, despair, seeking freedom from spiritual chains, or longing to see the light of God’s love again, you’re not alone. Here, we share testimonies, biblical truths, and encouragement to remind you that no one is too far gone for God’s redemption.
This is your invitation to find healing, hope, and restoration in Jesus. Welcome to The Redeemed Backslider—where grace is greater than your past and your future is abundant when God redeems your story.”
Episodes
66 episodes
He Was Always With Me- Laurie Jo Elliott #TRB Episode 65
Suicidal thoughts at nine years old. A lifetime of not fitting in. A constant stream of intrusive thoughts that sounded like truth. Lori Jo Elliott sits down with me, Kathy Chastain, to tell the kind of redemption story that doesn’t skip the ha...
My Journey Home- Joanna Hilton #TRB Episode 64
Something can be true and still be hard to say out loud: a lot of prodigals don’t stay away because they hate God, they stay away because life got heavy, shame got loud, and coming back feels like you have to fix everything first. I sit down wi...
Bible Quizzing Saved Me: J.J. Calvillo #TRB Episode 63
You can memorize Scripture as a kid, know all the standards, and still end up staring over the fence wondering what life looks like on the other side. JJ Calvio did exactly that. He grew up in church, competed in Bible quizzing, and says the Wo...
From Rejection to Loved: Trish Richardson #TRB Episode 62
She believed in God for years, but she could not trust “God’s people” and she had reasons that went deeper than most of us want to admit. My guest, Trish Richardson, shares what it was like growing up with divorce, instability, and a childhood ...
Identity Redefine - Mari Bobbitt #TRB Episode 61
She went years believing God had to be a joke. If He was real, why didn’t He stop what happened to her? Our guest, Mary Bobbitt, joins us for a courageous, tender conversation about trauma, identity, and the moment grace finally broke through t...
Slow Drift But Still Chosen- Amelia Borja #TRB Episode 60
If you’ve ever told yourself, “I didn’t mean to walk away,” Amelia Borha’s story will feel uncomfortably familiar and deeply hopeful. Amelia grew up in church, loved God, and built real spiritual roots through youth group, music ministry, camps...
The Prodigal Preacher- Pastor Donavon Hill #TRB Episode 59
Some people don’t walk away from God because they stop caring. They walk away because disappointment turns into bitterness, and bitterness starts rewriting the story. Pastor Donovan Hill tells the honest version: raised in church, called to pre...
Saved From Intrusive Thoughts- Tommi Deaver #TRB Episode 58
Intrusive thoughts are one of the most isolating battles because they feel personal, loud, and impossible to explain. When our guest Tommy Deaver tells us hers started around age five, it puts language to what so many adults still cannot name. ...
From Confusion to Conviction- Shawn McDonald #TRB Episode 57
He grew up in church, but the altar scared him, fitting in felt urgent, and “I’ll come back someday” sounded believable for a long time. Sean McDonald joins me to tell the story behind his return to Jesus and why the biggest obstacles were not ...
A Conversation with Bishop Jim McPhaill #TRB Episode 56
You can sit in a church pew and still feel a hundred miles away from God and you can be far away and still feel pulled toward home. I talk with Bishop Jim McPhaill, the pastor who has had a front-row seat to my own back-and-forth journey, about...
Prodigal Q & A Episode 55 The Redeemed Backslider
In this Episode, Kathy sits down with some of her first guests to talk about what has life been like since you rededicated your life. The ups and downs, the good times and the hard times. They answer a total of 19 questions.(Left to ...
Lost Everything Then Lost Myself- Tabitha Lopez TRB Episode 54
If you’ve ever felt like God’s love depended on how perfectly you followed the rules, Tabitha Lopez’s story will hit close to home. She grew up in a strict United Pentecostal world where standards, leadership pressure, and fear of “getting it w...
Delivered From "IT" Amber Alonso: TRB Episode 53
She was the “good kid,” the straight-A student, the one who looked fine. But beneath the surface, Amber Alonzo was carrying loneliness, bullying, grief, and a private depression that eventually turned into anorexia nervosa and relentless intrus...
Victoriously Overcoming Homosexuality: Rev. Cindy Mayo- TRB Episode 52
Some stories don’t fit into neat church slogans, and that’s exactly why they matter. I’m joined by Cindy Mayo, a licensed minister and founder of Alpha Ministries, to share a deeply personal testimony of trauma, survival, and finding a way back...
Two Miracles-One God: Ashley Zachary #TRB Episode 51
A mother’s prayer can sound fearless on the outside and still be full of questions in the quiet. Kathy Chastain sits down with Ashley Zachary, a newer convert with a raw, hope-filled testimony about coming out of a lesbian lifestyle, learning t...
Utter Loneliness Until God- Antonio Sarzi #TRB Season 2 Episode 50
Loneliness can be loud, even when you’re surrounded by people. Antonio Sarzi, a concert bassist who recently earned second chair in the Montana Symphony, joins me to tell the truth about what it feels like to be unseen, to chase perfection unti...
Journey With My Prodigal Son: Rev. Michael R. Torres #TRB Season 2 Episode 49
A pastor’s son commits bank robbery, lands in federal prison, and still can’t shake the pull of God. That’s the real-life backdrop for our conversation with Rev. Michael Torres, who joins us to tell the story from the parent’s side and to offer...
Healing From A Broken Heart- Elizabeth Rocha: TRB Season 2 Episode 48
A church kid can know every altar call and still feel unsafe when life collapses. Kathy Chastain sits down with author Elizabeth Rocha for a raw, deeply personal story about how bullying, grief, sexual assault, church conflict, and workplace be...
Rebellious Skater to Youth Pastor: Jon Deaver #TRB Season 2 Episode 47
What if the power you’ve been chasing is actually found in surrender? That’s the electric current running through Jon Deaver’s story—part skate-park bravado, part barroom chaos, and ultimately a fierce return to hope. He grew up hearing Scr...
Rejected, Abandoned, but Embraced By God: Diane Thompson #TRB Season 2 Episode 46
A testimony this raw doesn’t whisper; it rings like a bell. Kathy sits with Diane, a drug and alcohol counselor whose childhood was marked by normalized sexual abuse, border crossings, and being left on a street corner in Mexico—only to be foun...
Fallen Faith to Faith Restored: Dustin Long #TRB Season 2 Episode 45
A chance phone call, a buried wound, and a locked detox bathroom became turning points in a story that moves from numbing to purpose. We sit down with Dustin Long, president and CEO of High Hope Ministries, to trace the honest path from a praye...
Transformed By God's Love- Ben Bland: TRB Season 2 Ep. 44
A bold prayer can outlast decades—and catch up to you when you least expect it. That’s the heartbeat of this powerful conversation with Ben Bland, a designer whose life moved from church pews to drag stages and back to the waters of baptism, wh...
Mercy and the Miraculous- Rev. Robert Rodela TRB Season 2 #43
A voice in a jail laundry room. A Bible open to a sentence that felt like a summons. And a quiet whisper that rewrote a life: “I never left you.” Kathy sits down with Rev. Robert “Bobby” Rodello to trace a raw, unforgettable journey—from a chil...
How God Called Me - Rev. Justin Leyva Season 2 TRB #42
A nightclub. A tray of free cocaine. Faces twisting into something dark. Then an audible voice: get in your truck, go home, and go to church in the morning. That moment didn’t just interrupt a spiral; it rerouted a life. Evangelist Justin Leva ...
Radically Saved After Meth & Prison- Dennis Fulton TRB Episode # 41
What does it take to break a 25–year addiction and the prison cycle that comes with it? Dennis Fulton doesn’t offer polished answers; he brings a raw story that begins in a South Modesto trailer park and runs through meth, armed robbery, juveni...
